If we’re honest every ride in a Tuk Tuk is an adventure. With nothing between you and the sites, sounds and smells of wherever you are, the feeling of movement (rather than falling asleep in a car, minivan, coach), the feeling of it all being very ‘different’ whether you’re on a 10 minute Tuk Tuk ride to your hotel in Bangkok or a full fledged 11 Day Adventure with The Tuk Tuk Club through the mountains of Northern Thailand makes sure that Tuk Tuk and Adventure are words which fit perfectly.
Whilst there are a number of trips called Tuk Tuk Adventures in different locations around the world, we’d argue that only in Thailand are there true Tuk Tuk Adventures. After all, a Tuk Tuk in India is more of a Rickshaw so that would make it a Rickshaw Adventure wouldn’t it?
What is a Thailand Tuk Tuk Adventure all about and why on earth would you want to do it?
If we put to one side the half day / evening Tuk Tuk tours in Bangkok and the odd other city – usually superb trips and often focussed around street food and night markets – then the only Tuk Tuk Adventures in Thailand are delivered by The Tuk Tuk Club, based in Chiang Mai, the heart of Northern Thailand.
With self-drive (have a look at our ‘How to drive a Tuk Tuk’ article and chauffeur driven options (no article needed, we all know how to relax in the comfortable back seats enjoying stunning views cold drinks!) this is the perfect way to have an adventure in Northern Thailand
With 5 core trip options – 1 day, 2 day, 3 day, 5 day and 11 day – and also the opportunity to create a bespoke private adventure – there is something for everyone no matter how long you are planning to stay in Northern Thailand (and trust us, you should make your original plan and then double the amount of time you want to spend here – it’s the greatest part of a superb country for travellers) and all are great adventures taking you right into the heart and soul of Northern Thailand.
Packed with activities – from meeting elephants to bamboo rafting and hiking in the forest to awesome waterfalls to exploring tiny remote Hill Tribe communities – staying in fantastic accommodation (don’t worry – we like comfy beds and places to stay to so wont’ make our travellers stay anywhere we don’t love either) and making sure we eat the best and most authentic food around, these would be incredible adventures without travelling by Tuk Tuk.
Add in the Tuk Tuks (all specially built for the mountain roads, all super comfortable, all with more head room and leg room than normal, the list goes on…) and you have a unique and memorable adventure that will make you wonder why you haven’t don’t this before.
And we’re not finished yet. All our adventures have the very best guides anywhere in the North of Thailand. All passionate about ‘The North’, about travellers experiencing the very best of their home and about people enjoying every second of every day on an adventure – and why not, you work incredibly hard to travel overseas and it’s only right your Tuk Tuk Adventure should be the best travel experience you’ve ever had.
What is it that makes a Tuk Tuk Adventure so special?
There’s something very special about Tuk Tuks and even more so once you get to areas they aren’t usually seen in, like the rural mountain roads and communities. They are a novelty not only to us as travellers but also to local communities meaning that when you arrive somewhere, everyone wants to talk to you and find out about you breaking down those barriers immediately and giving you a great introduction to just how friendly regular Thai people are (even when they aren’t being paid to be friendly like in a hotel!). You’ll find that people driving by will wind down their window to get a ‘selfie’ with you, every coffee stop will see a group of locals having a good look around your Tuk Tuk and asking if they can take some photos with you or even sit in it. But there’s more than this too.
Usually you’d travel around Northern Thailand in a car, minivan or perhaps even by bus. You’re totally disconnected from the world going past by tinted windows and air-conditioning and before you know it you’ve forgotten the ‘travel’ and are at your destination. All well and good but what about those 3,4 or even 5 hours of your holiday. What happened to them?
When you’re on a Tuk Tuk Adventure – whether you’re driving yourself or have a driver’ – you’re right in the heart of everything ever single second. You can feel the weather, you can smell the forest (and you’ll become an expert at smelling if there are any elephants about!), you can smell all the scents of communities. You stop regularly – sometimes to go ‘wow’, other times to enjoy mountain coffee, and sometimes for a ‘comfort break’ – you’ll chat with your fellow travellers and your guide and support team, there’s no falling asleep when you’re on a Tuk Tuk Adventure. And when you get to your destination, not only is the destination fantastic but you’ve not wasted a second of your holiday.
To use a very modern slightly horrible phrase – you’ve been present and why wouldn’t you want to be present and soak up every single second of your travels.
One last note – Tuk Tuk Adventures use roads no others bother with. When it’s all about getting from A to B, transport companies use the quickest routes which whilst pretty at times are always the busiest and not always the most scenic. A Tuk Tuk Adventure heads along routes chosen specifically for where they pass through, for the quietness of the roads, for the views, for the villages, for the experience.
So, that’s what a Tuk Tuk Adventure is and we hope you join us soon. Yes, there are some superb Rickshaw Tours in other destinations and awesome short Tuk Tuk trips for the evening in Bangkok. But Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand is the home of the real Tuk Tuk Adventure. Don’t take our word for it though, come and find out for yourself!